This study will determine the effect of withholding essential nutrients (carbohydrates and amino acids) on macromolecular synthesis (DNA, RNA, protein, peptidoglycan and IPS) and growth of cariogenic strains of Streptococcus mutans. The minimum biochemical and nutritional requirements for initiation of macromolecular synthesis and growth will be examined. All studies will be performed under aerobic and anaerobic growth conditions in a chemically defined liquid culture medium. These studies will then permit a comparison of the biochemical and nutritional content of plaque from carious and non-carious teeth in an attempt to determine what factors in plaque enhance the growth and survival of cariogenic strains of S. mutans.